Using a stratified random sample and real-time virtual focus group sessions, we evaluated the regional administrative model, addressing personnel supervision, program direction, financial management, and administrative leadership. We concluded that the regional administrative model remains a highly charged topic, there is no common understanding…

Short-term study-abroad programs are gaining in popularity at business schools around the United States. We discuss the innovative 4-week program we have developed at Duquesne University where we offer two three-credit, required business core courses. In particular, we focus on the structure of a 2-week core supply chain management course. By…

In the spirit of continuous improvement, universities are constantly seeking ways to measure and enhance their effectiveness. Within colleges of business, the importance of assessment has been highlighted recently by AACSB accreditation standards dealing with assurance of learning. While AACSB standards focus primarily on direct measures of…

Because of their commitment to the voluntary measurement and improvement of student learning outcomes, colleges and universities that are members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) have been at the forefront of the national shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. The institutions participating in the CIC Degree…

The field of higher education attracts many talented, ambitious professionals who are inspired to work in this sector because of opportunities to support the academic, personal, and professional development of students. It is an irony that more attention is not paid to the professional and leadership development of administrative talent in…

This report presents early implementation and operational lessons from the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) evaluation. Funded by the Administration for Children and Families, SHM uses a rigorous research design to test the effectiveness of a new approach to improving outcomes for low-income children: strengthening the marriages and relationships…

Background: School-based body mass index (BMI) measurement has attracted much attention across the nation from researchers, school officials, legislators, and the media as a potential approach to address obesity among youth. Methods: An expert panel, convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2005, reviewed and provided…

Response to intervention (RTI) can be both a system for providing early interventions to struggling students and a special education diagnostic tool for evaluating and identifying students with specific learning disabilities. Contributing to the very limited literature on state-level approaches, this report describes how nine states define and…

This paper examines the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE). Begun in 1993, MISE had two stated goals: raise the interest, participation, and performance of public-school students in science; and demonstrate to other businesses that direct, focused involvement would hasten improvements in science teaching and learning in public schools.…

THE AIMS OF THIS EVALUATION OF THE USE OF NONPROFESSIONALS IN COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS WHICH WAS PREPARED FOR THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ARE--(1) TO PROVIDE A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAMS, (2) TO ASSESS THE VALIDITY OF THE BASIC PREMISES OF A NONPROFESSIONAL PROGRAM, AND (3) TO IDENTIFY THE SUCCESSFUL AND…

This is the first annual report of the 17-month initial study of Pennsylvania charter schools. The document contains interim information about the status and development of the state's charter schools and the charter-school initiative as a whole; it is not intended to be a summative evaluation of individual schools or the initiative, and it is not…

This paper presents a profile of Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators for…

PRESENTED ARE GUIDELINES FOR THE EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS FUNDED IN THE PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOLS UNDER TITLE I OF THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT. SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSED ARE GUIDELINES FOR THE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES TO USE IN REPORTING THE MEASURING INSTRUMENTS AND EVALUATION TECHNIQUES USED IN THE EVALUATIONS AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE…

This study analyzes the impact of library services in five medium-sized communities with differing geographic, economic, and social characteristics and determines the place of the public library within the pattern of city governmental services. Methods used for the study include interviews with community leaders, library trustees, librarians, and…

This study examines the role of the 14 colleges participating in postsecondary programs in eight Pennsylvania correctional institutions, to assess the quality of instruction and educational services, and to determine the attitudes of the offenders towards the college program. Data used in the evaluation was collected by questionnaires administered…